- There was a time when Jerome Potter and Sam Griesemer wanted to fit all of Los Angeles into the majestic, soul-drenched dance music they made as DJ Dodger Stadium. They named themselves after one of the city's key landmarks. They made videos depicting LA's unreal sprawl. They even dedicated an album to their hometown's history, citing John Fante's Ask The Dust as the inspiration for their wonderful debut album. But following Griesemer's deeply personal solo turn, Begging Please, the newly rechristened DJDS look away from LA for Stand Up And Speak, turning towards themes of the human condition with sharp focus and a renewed conviction.
For Stand Up And Speak, DJDS went professional. They hired vocalists—including the doorman of a Downtown LA hotel—instead of using samples, and recorded most of the album in an actual studio, their new-and-improved compound at the corner of MacArthur Park. The root of their sound is still gospel-inspired house wrapped in velvety synths, with grandiose hooks repeated until they're running around your head in a tizzy. But now everything's bolder—the colours more vivid, the vocals impassioned, the drum rolls ubiquitous—and the songs are tailored for radio play.
Even as they take steps off the dance floor, DJDS are at their best when using elements of dance music. "You Don't Have To Be Alone" is straight-up house, and one of their finest tracks, if only because it's their simplest. It hammers on the titular hook until it sounds somewhere between desperate and inspirational, while streamers of synth curl around the piano-house beat. The sound will be familiar to DJDS fans (not to mention Daft Punk fans), but it's not without little differences. It's amazing what can be done when varying a vocal hook instead of relying on one sample, or how multiple vocalists can do wonders for a track's narrative despite singing the same line over and over.
DJDS falter when they try to go full-on pop. Though Potter and Griesemer have come a long way since their first EP, they're still better with concentrated blasts of emotion than fully fleshed-out songs. The title track is goofily earnest, and the duo have some trouble framing their pop vocals. Thankfully, those shaky moments are few and far between.
Potter and Griesemer's ability to capture profound, universal feelings with just a few words and a good melody remains their most satisfying trick. They hit pay dirt with "Found (Closing)," where they turn their gospel obsession to actual worship. The shoe fits, and it puts all of the histrionic gestures—from the pseudo-religious hooks ("I am found") to the rolling drums and dramatic singing—into an affecting context. DJDS might not be pop stars, but it's not hard to imagine them blowing up in the future. Their electronic music brims with heartfelt emotions that anyone could understand.
Tracklist01. One Good Thing (Opening)
02. You Don't Have To Be Alone
03. In The Flames
04. Tell Me Why
05. Something To Believe In
06. No Guarantees
07. Stand Up And Speak
08. Darling Cheryl
09. I Don't Love You
10. Found (Closing)